December 2018

The Ursid (URS) meteor shower is named for its radiant point which is located near the star Beta Ursae Minoris (Kochab) in the constellation Ursa Minor. The Ursids are associated with Comet 8P/Tuttle, also sometimes known as Mechain-Tuttle's Comet. Peak meteor shower activity: December 21-22

Palo Duro Canyon has a very different beauty under the light of a full moon. Here’s your chance to experience it! Prepare: Dress warmly, wear hiking shoes, bring water to drink, and bring a flashlight or headlamp. No sign up is required for this hike. Meet: At the Wolfberry Day Use Area, located on alternate Park Road 5 next to Juniper Camping Loop. Look for signs that will tell you where to turn. Plan to arrive at no later than…

Join us for a hike under the light of the Full Moon. This hike will take us up the Summit Trail to the top of Enchanted Rock. Along our journey we’ll look and listen for signs of the creatures that inhabit the park at night (which now will include us!). Who knows what we’ll see or hear. Meet at the gazebo. Time: Approximately 2.0 hours. Distance: 1.5 mile there and back again. Elevation gain: 425 feet. Bring: Flashlight (preferably with…

Join us as we look at the nature and exploration history of our moon. Raymond Benge of Tarrant County College will lead as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission that orbited the moon on Christmas Eve of 1968. We will have a time of telescope observation of the moon and other night sky objects, weather permitting.

Learn about the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears to disappear and reappear each month in this interactive activity. We will also demonstrate the mechanisms of how lunar and solar eclipses occur. We will meet at the park store, Sunset Marina for this half hour indoor program. We recommend bringing a bottle of water and wearing comfortable, flat shoes when participating in any activity. Restrooms are available at the Headquarters, Activity Center, Marina, and in each…

Live by the sun, love by the moon. Ranger Lisa will take you on a short program and help you discover the mysteries of la luna, or the moon, while we explore the night Live by the sun, love by the moon. The night time is the right time to explore… As we say in the ranger station, “Half the Park is After Dark!” Meet Ranger Lisa at the Day Use Beach parking lot to begin a cool evening stroll…

February 2019

Under the illumination of the full moon we will hike to our day-use area. There we will look through a telescope focused on the moon for a more in depth look, take a constellation tour of the night sky, and then hike back with UV lights to find night animals. Important information for the Full Moon Hike: The hike will begin at 6 P.M. at the South side pavilion Please wear proper shoes (no sandals or open toe) and bring…

April 2019

The April Lyrids (LYR, IAU shower number 6) are a meteor shower lasting from April 16 to April 26 each year. The radiant of the meteor shower is located in the constellation Lyra, near this constellation's brightest star, Alpha Lyrae (proper name Vega). Their peak is typically around April 22 each year.

May 2019

(Photo by Rocky Raybell) The Eta Aquarids are a meteor shower associated with Halley's Comet. The shower is visible from about April 21 to about May 20 each year with peak activity on or around May 6. Unlike most major annual meteor showers, there is no sharp peak for this shower, but rather a plateau of good rates that last approximately one week centered on May 7. The meteors we currently see as members of the Eta Aquariid shower separated from…

August 2019

The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift–Tuttle. The Perseids are so called because the point from which they appear to come, called the radiant, lies in the constellation Perseus. The stream of debris is called the Perseid cloud and stretches along the orbit of the comet Swift–Tuttle. The cloud consists of particles ejected by the comet as it travels on its 133-year orbit. Most of the particles have been part of the cloud for around a thousand…

October 2019

The October Draconids are a meteor shower whose parent body is the periodic comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. The Draconids are best viewed after sunset in an area with a clear dark sky. The 1933 and 1946 Draconids had Zenithal Hourly Rates of thousands of meteors visible per hour, among the most impressive meteor storms of the 20th century. Rare outbursts in activity can occur when the Earth travels through a denser part of the cometary debris stream; for example, in 1998, rates suddenly spiked and spiked…

(Photo by Channone Arif) The Southern Taurids are an annual meteor shower associated with the comet Encke. They are named after their radiant point in the constellation Taurus, where they are seen to come from in the sky. Because of their occurrence in late October and early November, they are also called Halloween fireballs. Typically, Taurids appear at a rate of about 5 per hour, moving slowly across the sky at about 17 miles per second (27 kilometers per second), or…

(Photo by Mike Lewinski) The Taurids are an annual meteor shower associated with the comet Encke. They are named after their radiant point in the constellation Taurus, where they are seen to come from in the sky. Typically, Taurids appear at a rate of about 5 per hour, moving slowly across the sky at about 17 miles per second (27 kilometers per second), or 65,000 miles per hour. If larger than a pebble, these meteors may become bolides as bright as the…

December 2019

The meteors from this shower are slow moving. The shower is thought to be intensifying every year and recent showers have seen 120–160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions, generally around 02:00 to 03:00 local time.